Artists

Madhav Gudi [Kirana Gharana]

Pt. Madhav Gudi hails from the illustrious north Karnataka city of Dharwad, which has produced such distinguished stalwarts as Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Pt. Gangubai Hangal, and Pt. Basavraj Rajguru. Born into a family of keertankars and harikatha (devotional) musicians, Madhav Gudi was introduced to music at a very early age. His rich and sonorous voice encouraged his father to train the young Madhav under Pt. Basavraj Rajguru, the great maestro from whom Pt. Gudi received his formal initiation into Hindustani classical music.

After a few years went by the timbre of Madhav Gudi's voice had begun to resemble that of the eminent exponent of the Kirana Gharana, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Pt. Rajguru recognized this and recommended him to Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, who took Madhav Gudi under his guidance and bestowed upon him the glorious tradition of his music. Thus began a new chapter in Pt. Gudi's life. Here, in a true guru-shishya milieu which lasted well over twenty-five years, Pt. Madhav Gudi, the musician and performer was sculpted.

Known for his melodious yet powerful voice impeccably suited for Hindustani classical as well as light classical (dasavani and abhang) music, Pt. Madhav Gudi possesses an unparalleled collection of many different styles of compositions in many different languages. A top-grade All India Radio artiste, Pt. Madhav Gudi has toured extensively all over India and has performed with Pt. Bhimsen Joshi in several different centers in India and overseas. Among several accolades that he has received is the prestigious Sangeeta Nritya Akademi award from the government of Karnataka.